Continue Tweeting, National Assembly Minority Caucus Tells Nigerians

The joint minority caucus of the Senate and the House of
Representatives has called on Nigerians to ignore the ban placed by
the Federal Government on Twitter and continue to use the social
media platform.

The National Assembly caucus, which described the ban as
draconian, decried that many Nigerians are losing their sources of
livelihood to the action.

The Minority Leader of the Senate, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe;
and Minority Leader of the House, Ndudi Elumelu, stated this in a
statement issued on Wednesday, titled ‘NASS Joint Minority Caucus
Asks Nigerians to Continue Using Twitter.’

According to the statement, the joint caucus met over the ban by
the All Progressives Congress government and “restates its
condemnation of the embargo as draconian and unacceptable.”

The opposition lawmakers also dismissed threats by the
government to arrest and prosecute Nigerians for using twitter,
calling on Nigerians to “go ahead and use their Twitter (handles)
as they would not be contravening any law in Nigeria or any
international statute.”

The lawmakers said they recognise the provisions of Articles 19
and 20 of the United Nations Charter on Fundamental Human Rights,
which Nigeria is a signatory to, as well as provisions of Sections
39 and 36 (12) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), stating that
“by these provisions, no one will be violating any law for using
twitter in Nigeria.

The statement partly read, “As lawmakers, the joint caucus is
pained by the anguish Nigerians, especially the youths, who find
the use of twitter as a means of livelihood and genuine social
interaction, are passing through just because the APC-led Federal
Government feels slighted that an individual’s post, was deleted by
Twitter for ethical violation.

“The joint caucus, therefore, calls on Nigerians to use various
opportunities offered by technology and continue making use of
twitter since such does not violate any law in our country.

“It is agonising that Nigeria and Nigerians have been losing
billions of naira on a daily basis since the ban on Twitter. This
is completely unacceptable as it is worsening the already biting
economic hardship and frightening unemployment level in the
country.

“Moreover, the ban on Twitter in Nigeria appears to be in favour
of criminal and terrorist elements, whose activities fester in an
environment of suppressed information flow.”

The caucus sympathised with the organised private sector,
manufacturing and service providing companies; Micro, Small and
Medium Enterprises; online businesses owners and other hard working
entrepreneurs across the country, “whose genuine business and means
of livelihood have been crippled by the unwarranted ban on Twitter
by the APC Federal Government.”

The minority lawmakers also identified with students,
research-based organisations, media houses, the organised civil
society, faith-based organisations and community groups, among
others, whose information-based activities have been violently
disrupted by the ban.

“In the same vein, the joint caucus sympathises with regional,
states, local government as well as members of the international
community, whose genuine and constructive activities have been
crippled by the prohibition of twitter in Nigeria.

“It also identifies with traditional rulers, who have even found
Twitter as a means of communicating with the constituents,
especially in this era of insecurity in the country,” the statement
added.

The Joint Caucus vehemently berates the APC-led government for
abandoning its duty of addressing the serious economic and security
problems confronting our nation to rather focus on dissipating
energy victimizing Nigerians over their disagreement with Twitter
for deleting a post by an individual.

The Caucus counsels the Federal Government to swallow its pride,
accept its misdoing and go and settle whatever issue it has with
Twitter instead of this resort to inflicting pains on
Nigerians.

The joint minority caucus of the Senate and the House of
Representatives has called on Nigerians to ignore the ban placed by
the Federal Government on Twitter and continue to use the social
media platform.

The National Assembly caucus, which described the ban as
draconian, decried that many Nigerians are losing their sources of
livelihood to the action.

The Minority Leader of the Senate, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe;
and Minority Leader of the House, Ndudi Elumelu, stated this in a
statement issued on Wednesday, titled ‘NASS Joint Minority Caucus
Asks Nigerians to Continue Using Twitter.’

According to the statement, the joint caucus met over the ban by
the All Progressives Congress government and “restates its
condemnation of the embargo as draconian and unacceptable.”

The opposition lawmakers also dismissed threats by the
government to arrest and prosecute Nigerians for using twitter,
calling on Nigerians to “go ahead and use their Twitter (handles)
as they would not be contravening any law in Nigeria or any
international statute.”

The lawmakers said they recognise the provisions of Articles 19
and 20 of the United Nations Charter on Fundamental Human Rights,
which Nigeria is a signatory to, as well as provisions of Sections
39 and 36 (12) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), stating that
“by these provisions, no one will be violating any law for using
twitter in Nigeria.

The statement partly read, “As lawmakers, the joint caucus is
pained by the anguish Nigerians, especially the youths, who find
the use of twitter as a means of livelihood and genuine social
interaction, are passing through just because the APC-led Federal
Government feels slighted that an individual’s post, was deleted by
Twitter for ethical violation.

“The joint caucus, therefore, calls on Nigerians to use various
opportunities offered by technology and continue making use of
twitter since such does not violate any law in our country.

“It is agonising that Nigeria and Nigerians have been losing
billions of naira on a daily basis since the ban on Twitter. This
is completely unacceptable as it is worsening the already biting
economic hardship and frightening unemployment level in the
country.

“Moreover, the ban on Twitter in Nigeria appears to be in favour
of criminal and terrorist elements, whose activities fester in an
environment of suppressed information flow.”

The caucus sympathised with the organised private sector,
manufacturing and service providing companies; Micro, Small and
Medium Enterprises; online businesses owners and other hard working
entrepreneurs across the country, “whose genuine business and means
of livelihood have been crippled by the unwarranted ban on Twitter
by the APC Federal Government.”

The minority lawmakers also identified with students,
research-based organisations, media houses, the organised civil
society, faith-based organisations and community groups, among
others, whose information-based activities have been violently
disrupted by the ban.

“In the same vein, the joint caucus sympathises with regional,
states, local government as well as members of the international
community, whose genuine and constructive activities have been
crippled by the prohibition of twitter in Nigeria.

“It also identifies with traditional rulers, who have even found
Twitter as a means of communicating with the constituents,
especially in this era of insecurity in the country,” the statement
added.

The Joint Caucus vehemently berates the APC-led government for
abandoning its duty of addressing the serious economic and security
problems confronting our nation to rather focus on dissipating
energy victimizing Nigerians over their disagreement with Twitter
for deleting a post by an individual.

The Caucus counsels the Federal Government to swallow its pride,
accept its misdoing and go and settle whatever issue it has with
Twitter instead of this resort to inflicting pains on
Nigerians.